IN  TABLELAND 


UC-NRLF 


BY  EMMA-  SERL 


^•i  I  r^'iT 


11  IN  FABLELAND  is  charming 
and  I  congratulate  you  upon  put- 
ting forth  so  desirable  a  "book. 
The  illustrations  are  delightful, 
the  print  good,  and  the  stories 
well  told." 

NELLIE  E.  BARTON, 

Training  Department, 
State  Normal  School, 
Cheney,  Wash. 


"IN  FABLELAND  has  "been  used 
with  delightful  success  in  our 
First  Grade  and  even  in  the  Low 
Second,  where  we  frequently 
dramatize  the  stories." 

MARIE  E.  HALL, 

State  Normal  School, 
Chico,  Gal. 


IN  FABLELAND 


BY 

EMMA  SERL 

If 

TEACHER  OF  PRIMARY  METHODS,  NORMAL  TRAINING 
DEPARTMENT,  KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 

HARRY  E.  WOOD 


SILVER,  BURDETT  &  COMPANY 

BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 


FOR  EXAMINATION 

COMPLIMENTS  OP 

SILVER,  BDRDETT  fc  COMPANY 


Copyright, 
By  Silver,  Burdett  and  Company 


IN  TABLELAND 

WITH 

LEO,  the  lion 
LOBO,  the  wolf 
REYNARD,  the  fox 

BRUIN,  the  bear 

BRUNO,  the  dog 
DOBBIN,  the  horse 
PUSSY,  the  cat 
BUNNY,  the  hare 
and  their  friends. 


hundred  times  as  big  as  a  fox.  His 
eyes  are  like  fire,  and  his  teeth  are 
like  swords." 

"I  hope  I  shall  never  meet  him," 
said  Reynard;  "I  know  I  should  die  of 
fright." 

Then  Reynard  saw  the  goat.  He 
was  lying  in  the  shade  of  a  tree,  chew- 
ing his  cud. 

"Billy,"  said  Reynard,  "did  you  ever 
see  Leo,  the  lion?" 

"Yes,  I  saw  him  once,"  said  Billy. 
"His  head  is  as  big  as  a  house.  His 
mouth  is  like  a  cave,  and  his  paws  are 
like  trees.  Oh,  he  is  a  dreadful  animal!55 

"I  hope  I  shall  never  meet  him,"  said 


:eynard;    "I   know    I   should   die    of 
ight." 

The  next  day  he  saw  Pussy,  the  cat. 
"Pussy,"  said  Reynard,  "did  you  ever 
see  Leo,  the  lion?" 

"Don't  talk  to  me  about  him,"  said 
Puss.  "It  frightens  me  to  think  of 
him.  I  saw  him  once.  He  had  just 
killed  a  deer.  He  is  a  terrible  animal. 
When  he  roars  the  ground  trembles. 
When  he  growls  the  trees  shake.  And 
when  he  walks  in  the  woods  the  other 
animals  run  and  hide." 

"I  hope  that  I  shall  never  meet 
him,"  said  Reynard;  "I  know  I  should 
die  of  fright." 


"Listen,"  said  Pussy.  "I  think  I 
hear  him  coming.  Yes,  there  he  is. 
Bun,  Beynard,  run!" 

But  Eeynard  was  too  frightened  to 
run.  He  lay  down  behind  some  bushes 
and  nearly  died  of  fright. 

After  the  lion  had  passed  on,  Eeynard 
came  out  of  the  bushes  and  ran  home. 

"He  is  more  dreadful  than  Bruin  or 
Billy  or  Pussy  said  he  was.  I  hope  I 
shall  never  meet  him  again,"  he  said. 

A  few  days  later  Eeynard  was  hunt- 
ing in  the  woods.  Again  he  heard  the 
roar  of  Leo.  This  time  Eeynard  sat 
down  behind  a  rock  and  watched  him 
as  he  passed  by. 

8 


"Well,"  said  he,  "that  lion  fright- 
ened  me  dreadfully,  but  he  is  not 
so  terrible  as  the  animals  said." 

The  next  morning  Eeynard  was  on 
the  mountain.  He  saw  Leo  sitting  in 


front  of  his  den.     He  did  not  try   to 
hide  this  time. 

He  walked  up  to  the  lion  and  said, 
"Good  morning.  Friend  Leo.  How  are 
you  this  fine  day?" 


10 


THE   FOX  AND   THE   CROW 

One  day  Mrs.  Crow  found  a  fine 
piece  of  cheese. 

"Here  is  a  nice  meal  for  my  little 
ones,"  she  said.  "I  will  take  it  home 
to  them.  But  first  I  '11  rest  in  this  tree." 

Keynard,  the  fox,  passed  by  the  tree. 
He  was  on  his  way  to  the  river  for 
some  ducks.  He  looked  up  into  the 
tree  and  saw  Mrs.  Crow. 

"Oh,"  said  he  to  himself,  "Mrs. 
Crow  has  a  fine  piece  of  cheese.  I 
wish  I  had  it.  Perhaps  I  can  get  it. 
If  I  can  make  her  open  her  mouth 

that  cheese  is  mine." 

11 


Then  he  said  out  loud,  "Good  morn- 
ing, Mrs.  Crow.  How  well  you  are 
looking  to-day!  I  never  saw  you  look 
so  beautiful.  Won't  you  talk  to  me  a 
little?" 

But  Mrs.  Crow  did  not  say  a  word. 

"I  must  try  again,"  thought  Reynard. 

So  he  said,  "Do  you  know  what 
Lobo,  the  wolf,  said  about  you?  He 
said  that  you  had  a  sweeter  voice  for 
singing  than  any  bird  in  the  woods." 

Now  this  pleased  Mrs.  Crow  very 
much.  She  was  so  silly  as  to  believe 
all  that  the  fox  told  her.  She  hoped 
he  would  talk  some  more,  so  she  sat 
quite  still  and  listened. 

12 


"Dear  Mrs. 
Crow/5  said 
Keynard,  "how 
I  should  love  to 
hear  your  voice ! 
Won't  you 
please  sing  one 
little  song  for 
me?  Then  I 
will  go  to  Leo, 
the  lion,  and 
tell  him  that  I 
have  found  the 
Queen  of  Birds." 

Silly  Mrs. 
Crow  knew  that 


13 


she  could  not  sing  but  she  thought 
she  would:  try.  She  opened  her  mouth 
and  said,  "Caw,  caw,"  as  loud  as  she 
could. 

As  she  did  so  the  cheese  fell  to  the 
ground.     Keynard  quickly  ate  it  up. 

14 


"Thank  you,  Mrs.  Crow,"  he  said,  "for 
my  good  dinner.  That  was  the  best 
cheese  I  ever  tasted.  Now  let  me  give 
you  this  advice:  do  not  believe  all  that 
foxes  tell  you." 


15 


THE   WOLF  AND   THE   KID 

A  herd  of  goats  were  eating  grass 
on  the  side  of  a  hill. 

"Don't  go  away/'  said  a  mother  goat 
to  her  little  one.  "  Stay  here  and  the 
dogs  will  take  care  of  you.  If  you 
go  away  Lobo,  the  wolf,  may  catch 
you." 

"All  right,  Mother,"  said  the  little 
kid;  "I  will  not  go  far." 

For  a  while  he  ate  the  grass  near 
the  others. 

Then  he  said  to  himself,  "What  is 
the  use  of  staying  here  all  the  time? 
This  grass  is  dry.  I  can  see  some 

16 


grass  by  the  pond  that  is  fresh  and 
green.  I  am  going  down  there.  I 
don't  believe  Lobo  is  near." 

So  the  little  kid  ran  down  the  hill. 

Now  Lobo,  the  wolf,  was  hidden  in 
the  bushes  near  the  pond.  He  wanted 
to  catch  something  to  eat. 

"There  is  a  fine  little  kid,"  he  said 
to  himself.  "I  think  he  is  coming  this 
way.  If  he  does  I  will  catch  hinL 
What  a  fine  dinner  he  will  make!" 

When  the  little  kid  came  near,  Lobo 
jumped  out  and  caught  him  by  the 
neck. 

"Oh,  Wolf,"  said  the  kid,  "are  you 
going  to  kill  me?" 

17 


"Yes,"  said  Lobo,  "I  am  going  to 
eat  you  for  dinner." 

"Before  I  die  I  should  like  to  ask 
one  thing,"  said  the  little  kid. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  asked  Lobo. 

"I  have  heard,  Lobo,"  said  the  kid, 
"that  you  can  play  beautifully  on  the 
horn." 

"Yes,  I  can  play  a  little,"  said  Lobo. 

"Then,  dear  Lobo,"  said  the  kid, 
"won't  you  play  a  tune  and  let  me 
dance  a  little  before  I  die?  I  love  to 
dance." 

"I  never  saw  a  kid  dance,"  said 
Lobo,  "but  I  will  play  for  you." 

So  Lobo  played  and  the  kid  danced. 

18 


"That  is  fine,  Lobo!"  said  the  kid. 
"But  can't  you  play  a  little  louder?  I 
like  loud  music  to  dance  by." 

So  Lobo  played  as  loud  as  he  could. 

The  dogs  who  were  watching  the 
goats  heard  the  noise. 


19 


"What  can  be  the  matter?"  said  the 
leader.  "Let  us  go  and  see." 

They  ran  down  the  hill  and  there 
they  saw  Lobo  playing  and  the  poor 
little  kid  dancing. 

The  dogs  at  once  jumped  upon  the 
wolf.  Lobo  dropped  his  horn  and  ran* 
for  the  woods. 

"How  silly  I  was,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, "to  play  for  that  kid  instead  of 
eating  him!" 


THE   DOG  IN  THE  MANGER 

"I  wish  I  could  find  a  quiet  place  to 
take  a  nap,"  said  Bruno  one  day.  "The 
flies  bother  me  in  my  kennel.55 

"Why  don't  you  go  into  the  barn?55 
asked  Pussy.  "It  is  cool  there,  and  the 
hay  is  soft  and  sweet.55 

"That  will  be  a  good  place/5  said 
Bruno.  "  I  am  glad  you  told  me  about 
it.  Pussy.55 

In  the  barn  he  found  a  manger  full 
of  hay.  He  curled  himself  up  there 
and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

At  noon  the  oxen  came  home  from 
their  work.  They  were  hungry  and 

21 


wanted  the  hay  which  was  in  the 
manger. 

The  dog  woke  up  and  snapped  and 
growled  at  them. 

"Please  go  away  and  let  us  have 
our  dinner,"  said  one  of  the  oxen.  "We 
are  hungry.55 

"I  won't  go  away,"  growled  Bruno. 
"  I  shall  stay  here  as  long  as  I  like.5' 

"You  don't  eat  hay,  do  you?55  asked 
the  other  ox. 

"Of  course  I  don't  eat  hay,"  said 
Bruno.  "Who  ever  heard  of  a  dog 
eating  hay?" 

"Well  then,  get  away  and  let  us 
have  it,"  said  the  oxen. 

22 


But  Bruno  only  barked  louder  and 
louder. 

"You  are  a  selfish  fellow,"  said  the 
ox.  "You  can't  eat  the  hay  yourself 
and  yet  you  will  not  let  any  one  else 
have  it." 

23 


THE   LION   AND  THE   GNAT 

One  day  Leo  lay  down  to  rest.  A 
little  gnat  came  and  stung  him  on 
the  nose. 

"Go  away/5  said  Leo,  "or  I  will  hit 
you  with  my  big  paw." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you/5  said  the 
gnat.  "I  shall  stay  here  as  long  as  I 
please." 

"Do  you  say  that  you  are  not  afraid 
of  me?55  roared  Leo.  "You'd  better  go 
away.  Don't  you  know  that  I  am 
king  of  the  beasts?  I  am  stronger 
than  any  animal  in  the  forest." 

"You   think    you  are    too    big  and 

24 


strong  for  me,"  said  the  little  gnat. 
"I  am  little  but  I  can  fight  you  just 
the  same." 

"  You  fight  me  ?  "  said  Leo.  «  Why,  I 
could  kill  a  hundred  gnats  with  one 
blow  of  my  paw." 

"Perhaps  you  could,"  said  the  gnat, 
"but  let  us  fight." 

"All  right,"  said  Leo.     "Go  ahead." 

Then  the  gnat  stung  Leo  on  his  lip. 

"There  is  my  first  blow,"  said  the 
gnat. 

Leo  tried  to  strike  the  gnat  with  his 
paw.  But  the  gnat  was  so  quick  that 
Leo  hit  his  own  face  instead.  His 
claws  tore  the  flesh  and  made  it  bleed. 

25 


The  gnat  stung  Leo  in  tlie  corner 
of  his  eye. 

"Did  you  feel  that,  King  Leo?"  he 
asked. 

Again  Leo  struck  at  the  gnat  but 

26 


only  hit  himself  again.  This  time  his 
sharp  claw  went  into  his  eye. 

"Never  mind/'  said  Leo,  "I'll  catch 
you  yet!" 

The  gnat  stung  him  on  the  nose. 

Leo  began  to  get  angry.  "I  must 
hit  quicker  and  harder,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "if  I  want  to  catch  that  little 
gnat." 

So  Leo  hit  harder  and  harder.  The 
gnat  stung  him  again  and  again.  Each 
time  Leo  hit  himself. 

At  last  Leo  said,  "I  can't  stand  this 
any  longer.  My  face  is  all  covered 
with  blood  and  my  eyes  are  nearly 
swelled  shut.55. 

27 


He  got  up  and  ran  away  as  fast  as 
he  could. 

"Ho,  ho!"  laughed  the  gnat.  "Now, 
who  is  king,  I  wonder?  Not  the  lion, 
I  think." 

Then  the  gnat  flew  away  through 
the  forest. 

"I  will  stop  here,"  he  said  "This 
is  a  good  place  to  rest  awhile." 

He  flew  to  a  little  bush  and  lighted 
on  one  of  its  leaves.  But  he  did  not  see 
the  web  which  Madam  Spider  had  just 
finished  spinning.  His  gauzy  wings 
were  caught  in  the  silken  threads. 

"I  am  caught,  oh,  I  am  caught!" 
cried  the  gnat. 

28 


He  tried  and  tried  to  get  free,  but 
the  web  caught  his  wings  and  held 
him  fast. 

"I  shall  die  and  be  eaten  up/'  he  said. 
"I  cannot  get  away.  I  can  fight  a  big 
lion  but  I  cannot  save  myself  from  a 
little  spider,," 


29 


THE   HARE  AND   HER   FRIENDS 

All  the  animals  liked  Bunny,  the 
hare.  She  was  so  little  and  kind  and 
good.  She  did  not  play  tricks  like 
Reynard  and  she  did  not  tell  stories 
like  Lobo. 

"I  am  your  friend,  Bunny,"  said 
Dobbin,  the  horse.  "I  would  do  any- 
thing for  you." 

"I  am  your  friend  too,  Bunny,"  said 
the  goat.  "Call  011  me  if  you  want 
anything." 

"We  are  all  your  friends,  Bunny," 
said  the  other  animals.  "We  will  help 
you  at  any  time.  You  are  so  good," 

30 


"I  am  glad  you  all  like  me,"  said 
Bunny.  "One  cannot  have  too  many 
friends." 

One  day  Bunny  heard  the  dogs 
coming. 

"I  must  get  away/5  she  said.  "If 
those  dogs  catch  me  they  will  kill 
me  in  a  minute.  I  will  ask  some  of 
my  good  friends  to  help  me." 

Just  then  the  horse  came  down  the 
road. 

"Oh,  Dobbin/'  called  Bunny,  "the 
dogs  are  coming.  I  am  afraid  they 
will  catch  me  and  eat  me.  You  can 
run  so  fast;  won't  you  carry  me  away 
on  your  back?" 

31 


"I  should  like  to,  Bunny,"  said  Dob- 
bin, "but  I  have  to  work  to-day.  Come 
to  me  some  other  time  when  you  are 
in  trouble.  You  have  so  many  friends; 
ask  some  one  else  to  help  you.  There 
is  the  donkey.  Ask  him." 

"Oh,  Donkey,"  cried  Bunny,  "the 
dogs  are  coming.  They  will  catch 
me  and  eat  me.  Won't  you  carry 
me  away  on  your  back?" 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  little  Bunny,"  said 
the  donkey,  "but  I  am  not  very  well 
to-day.  I  don't  feel  like  running  fast. 
Some  one  else  will  help  you.  There  is 
the  goat.  Ask  him." 

"Oh,  Billy,"  cried  Bunny,  "the  dogs 


32 


are  coming.  Can't  you  hear  them? 
They  will  catch  me  and  eat  me.  Please 
carry  me  away  on  your  back." 

"Why,  Bunny,"  said  Billy,  "I  should 
be  glad  to,  but  you  see  my  back  is 
so  rough.  I  am  afraid  it  might  hurt 
your  little  feet.  There  is  the  sheep. 
He  has  a  nice  soft  woolly  back.  He 
can  carry  you.  Ask  him." 

"Oh,  Sheep,"  cried  Bunny,  "the  dogs 
are  coming.  I  am  afraid  they  will 
catch  me  and  eat  me.  Won't  you 
carry  me  away  on  your  soft  back?" 

"I  cannot  help  you  this  time, 
Bunny,"  said  the  sheep.  "You  know 
some  dogs  bite  sheep.  I  do  not  want 


33 


them  to  see  me  with  you.  There  is 
the  calf.  He  can  run.  Ask  him." 

"Oh,  Calf,"  cried  Bunny,  "the  dogs 
are  coming.  I  am  afraid  they  will  eat 
me.  Please  take  me  away." 

"I  should  like  to  help  you,"  said  the 
calf,  "but  I  am  afraid  to  do  so.  So 
many  older  and  wiser  animals  have  re- 
fused you,  I  think  I'd  better  not  try. 
You  know  I  am  quite  young." 

"Well,"  said  Bunny,  "there  is  only 
one  thing  left  for  me  to  do.  I  must 
run.  My  own  legs  will  save  me  if  my 
friends  will  not." 


84 


THE   FOX  AND   THE  GRAPES 

Keyiiard,  the  fox,  was  very  thirsty. 
He  had  not  found  any  water  all  day. 
He  said  to  himself,  "I  shall  die  if  I 
do  not  have  a  drink  soon." 

Sitting  by  the  fence  he  saw  Bunny, 
the  hare. 

"Oh,  Bunny/'  he  called,  "come  here. 
I  won't  hurt  you.  I  want  to  talk  to 
you.  Do  you  know  where  I  can  get  a 
drink?  I  am  so  thirsty." 

"Yes,"  said  Bunny,  "I  know  where 
there  is  a  nice  spring  of  cold  water, 
but  it  is  a  long  way  from  here." 

35 


Keynard  said,  "Take  me  to  it,  Bunny, 
and  I  will  give  you  something." 

"No/5  said  Bunny,  "I  can't  go  with 
you.  I  am  going  after  some  cabbage. 
But  you  can  find  it  if  you  go  down 
the  road  to  the  big  rock.  I  am  in  a 
hurry,  so  good-by." 

Reynard  hunted  and  hunted  for  the 
spring  but  could  not  find  It. 

Then  he  met  Lobo,  the  wolf. 

"Oh,  Lobo,"  he  said,  "do  you  know 
where  I  can  get  a  drink?  I  am  so 
thirsty." 

Lobo  said,  "  No,  I  do  not  know  where 
there  is  any  water  but  I  know  where 
there  are  some  nice  grapes,  I  ate  some 

30 


once  when  I  was 
thirsty.  Jump 
over  this  fence 
and  run  up  the 
hill.  You  will  find 
them  there.  I  am 
going  to  catch  a 
sheep.  Good-by." 

Reynard  found 
the  grapes  but 
they  were  in  a 
high  tree. 

"What  fine 
juicy  grapes!"  he 
said.  "How  sweet 
they  will  taste! 


I  shall  not  be  thirsty  after  I  get  some 
of  them.  I  cannot  climb  the  tree  but 
I  think  I  can  jump  and  reach  them 

So  he  jumped  and  jumped. 

"This  is  hard  work/5  said  he.  "I 
wish  they  were  not  so  high." 

Then  he  jumped  again  and  again. 

At  last  he  said,  "I  cannot  get  them. 
But  I  do  not  care.  I  know  they  are 
sour  grapes." 


THE   LION'S  SHARE 

Reynard  stopped  at  Leo's  home  one 
afternoon. 

"Oh,  Leo,"  he  called,  "are  you  at 
home?" 

39 


"Yes,  I  am  here,"  said  the  lion. 
"What  do  you  want?" 

"The  donkey  and  I  are  going  hunt- 
ing," said  Reynard.  "  We  want  you  to 
go  with  us." 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  go,"  said  Leo. 
"I  was  just  wishing  for  something 
to  eat." 

So  the  lion,  the  donkey,  and  the  fox 
started  out  together. 

They  had  not  gone  far  when  they 
caught  a  fine  large  deer. 

"Let  us  rest  here  and  eat  it,"  said 
Leo.  "I  am  hungry.  Donkey,  you 
divide  it.  Give  each  one  the  part  he 
should  have." 

40 


So  the  donkey  took  the  deer  and 
divided  it  into  three  equal  parts0 

"Now  I  think  the  parts  are  even," 
he  said.  "  Which  part  do  you  want, 
Leo?" 

Leo  looked  at  the  parts.  Then  he 
grew  angry. 

"What  do  you  mean.  Donkey,  by 
taking  so  much  for  yourself?"  he  said. 

"The  parts  are  even,"  said  the  don- 
key. "If  you  don't  like  the  way  I 
have  divided  it  you  need  not  take 
any." 

This  made  Leo  still  more  angry. 
He  sprang  upon  the  donkey  and  killed 
him. 

41 


"Now,  Reynard,"  he  said,  " there  are 
only  two  of  us.  See  if  you  can  divide 
the  deer." 

Then  Reynard  put  all  the  meat  in 
one  pile  except  a  little  piece  of  the 
leg.  He  put  this  off  by  itselfc 

"This  big  pile  is  your  share,  Leo," 
said  Reynard.  "This  little  piece  of 
the  leg  is  mine." 

Leo  was  very  much  pleased  with 
the  fox. 

"Reynard,"  he  said,  "who  taught 
you  how  to  divide  the  deer  so  well?" 

"The  dead  donkey  taught  me  how," 
said  Reynard. 


42 


LOBO   AND   THE   LAMB 

Lobo  was  hungry  and  thirsty. 

"I  wish  I  could  find  some  good  cold 
water,"  he  said. 

Soon  he  met  Leo,  the  lion. 

"Leo,"  he  said,  "do  you  know  where 
I  can  get  a  drink?" 

"Yes,"  said  Leo;  "there  is  a  fine 
stream  on  the  other  side  of  the 
hill." 

Lobo  ran  over  the  hill  as  fast  as  he 
could. 

There  he  found  the  stream  of  clear, 
cold  water. 

"How  good  this  is!"  he  said.     "Now 

43 


if  I  only  had  something  to  eat  I  should 
be  happy." 

He  looked  down  the  stream  and 
there  on  the  other  side  was  a  little 
lamb. 

"There  is  my  dinner,"  said  Lobo. 
"Such  a  nice  fat  lamb!  I  must  find 
some  excuse  for  killing  him." 

So  he  called  out  in  an  angry  voice, 
"How  dare  you  make  the  water 
muddy  when  I  want  to  drink  it?" 

"I  am  not  making  it  muddy,"  said 
the  lamb.  "Don't  you  see  that  the 
water  runs  from  you  to  me?  See  how 
clear  and  bright  it  is." 

Lobo  saw  that  he  had  made  a  mis- 

44 


take.  "1  must  find  some  other  way  to 
quarrel,"  lie  said  to  himself. 

Then  he  said  out  loud,  "You  are  the 
lamb  who  called  me  names  last  year, 
Reynard  told  me  you  did." 

"Reynard  has  told  you  a  story,"  said 
the  lamb.  "I  have  never  talked  about 
you;  and  I  was  not  born  a  year  ago." 

"Well,"  said  the  wolf,  "if  it  was  not 
you  it  must  have  been  your  father. 
Anyway  it  is  all  the  same." 

Then  the  wolf  sprang  across  the 
stream,  caught  the  poor  lamb,  and  ate 
him  up. 


45 


REYNARD   AND    MRS.    CRANE 

"I  think  I  will  play  a  trick  on  Mrs. 
Crane,"  said  Reynard  one  day. 

So  he  went  to  the  pond  where  Mrs. 
Crane  lived. 

"Good  morning,  Mrs.  Crane,"  said 
Eeynard.  "You  have  not  been  to  my 
house  for  a  long  time.  Won't  you 
come  and  take  dinner  with  me  to-day?" 

"Thank  you,  Eeynard,"  said  Mrs. 
Crane.  "I  shall  be  glad  to  come." 

When  dinner  was  ready,  all  they 
had  to  eat  was  soup  served  in  a  big 
flat  dish. 

"Come  and  eat,"  said  Eeynard.  "I 
hope  you  will  like  this  good  hot  soup/3 

46 


Mrs.  Crane  with  her  long  bill  could 
get  nothing  out  of  the  dish. 

Reynard  with  his  broad  tongue 
quickly  ate  up  all  the  soup. 

"Why,  Mrs.  Crane/'  said  Reynard, 
"you  didn't  eat  anything." 


47 


"No,"  said  Mrs.  Crane,  "I  can't  eat 
out  of  such  a  flat  dish." 

Reynard  laughed  at  Mrs.  Crane. 

"That  is  a  good  joke,"  he  said. 

"I  must  go  now,"  said  Mrs.  Crane. 
"Won't  you  come  and  take  dinner 
with  me  to-morrow?" 

" Thank  you,"  said  Eeynard.  "I  shall 
be  glad  to." 

So  next  day  Reynard  went  to  Mrs. 
Crane's  home. 

"Good  morning,  Reynard,"  said  Mrs. 
Crane.  "Dinner  is  ready.  Come  this 
way.  Here  is  soup  in  this  tall  jar. 
I  hope  you  will  like  it." 

The  jar  was  tall  and  the  neck  was 

48 


narrow.  The  soup  did  not  reach  to  the 
top.  Eeynard  could  not  get  a  taste. 
Mrs.  Crane  with  her  long  bill  ate  it  all. 
"How  do  you  like  my  joke/  Rey- 
nard?" asked  Mrs.  Crane. 

49 


THE   DOG  AND   HIS  SHADOW 

One  day  Mr.  Brown,  the  butcher, 
said,  "Are  you  hungry,  Bruno?  You 
look  nearly  starved.  Here  is  a  fine 
piece  of  meat." 

Bruno  was  glad  to  get  the  meat,, 
He  started  for  home  as  fast  as  he 
could  run.  On  the  way  he  passed 
Reynard,  the  fox. 

"Hello,  Bruno,"  said  Reynard. 
"Where  did  you  get  that  nice  piece 
of  meat?  Can't  you  stop  and  talk 
awhile?  It  is  such  a  long  time  since 
you  came  to  see  me.  Do  stop  for  a 
few  minutes." 

50 


But  Bruno  had  heard  of  Keynard's 
tricks  and  he  only  ran  on  faster. 

On  the  way  home  he  had  to  cross  a 
little  stream  of  water.  He  stopped  on 
the  bridge  and  looked  down.  He  saw 
his  shadow  in  the  water. 

"Why,"  he  said  to  himself,  "there 
is  another  dog.  He  has  some  meat 
too.  I  believe  his  piece  is  larger  than 
mine.  Yes,  I  am  sure  it  is  larger.  I 
am  going  to  fight  that  dog  and  get 
his  piece  of  meat." 

So  Bruno  dropped  his  piece  of  meat 
into  the  water.  He  jumped  in  to  fight 
the  other  dog.  But  there  was  no  other 
dog  there. 

51 


Then  he  tried  to  find  his  own  piece 
of  meat,  but  it  was  at  the  bottom  of 
the  river. 

"By  being  so  greedy  I  have  lost  my 
dinner,"  said  Bruno  to  himself  as  he 
walked  slowly  home. 


HOW  THE  MONKEY  SETTLED 
THE  QUARREL 

Pussy  and  another  cat  once  found 
a  big  piece  of  cheese.  They  began  to 
quarrel  about  it. 

Jocko,  the  monkey,  passed  that  way. 
He  heard  them  quarreling  and  stopped 
to  listen. 

"Why,  Pussy,"  he  said,  "what  is  the 
matter?" 

"I  found  this  piece  of  cheese,"  said 
Pussy.  "It  is  mine,  and  I  am  going  to 
keep  it." 

"No,  it  is  mine,"  said  the  other  cat. 
"I  saw  it  first." 

53 


"But  I  ran  and  picked  it  up  first," 
said  Pussy.  "So  it  is  mine,  isn't  it, 
Jocko?" 

"Why  don't  you  cut  it  into  two 
parts  and  each  take  one  part?"  asked 
the  monkey. 

"That  is  a  good  idea,"  said  Pussy. 
"I  will  cut  it  at  once." 

"No,  you  shall  not,"  said  the  other 
cat.  "I  will  cut  it  myself." 

"I  will  not  let  you  cut  it,"  said 
Pussy.  "I  know  you  would  take  the 
larger  piece." 

"Let  me  cut  it,"  said  the  monkey. 
"I  am  sure  I  can  cut  it  into  two  equal 
parts." 

54 


"That  is  fair,"  said  Pussy.  "I  can 
trust  you,  Jocko." 

"You  are  a  good  friend  of  mine, 
Jocko,"  said  the  other  cat.  "Cut  it 
as  quickly  as  you  can." 

So  Jocko  got  a  big  knife.  He  cut 
the  cheese  into  two  pieces.  Then  he 
looked  at  each  part. 

"I  think  this  piece  is  larger  than 
the  other,"  he  said.  "Yes,  I  know  it  is 
larger.  I  will  bite  some  off  this  piece, 
so  that  both  will  be  alike." 

Then  he  took  a  big  bite  off  one  piece. 

"Now  I  believe  the  other  piece 
is  a  little  larger,"  said  he.  "I  will 
take  a  little  off  that  one  too." 

55 


"Oh,  Jocko,"  cried  Pussy,  "don't 
do  that.  Give  us  our  cheese  and  let 
us  go." 

"No,"  said  Jocko,  "I  will  not  give  it 
to  you  until  both  parts  are  even.  You 
might  quarrel  again  if  I  did.  Now 
you  see  this  part  is  larger.  I  will  fix 
it." 

"Oh,  Jocko,"  cried  the  other  cat, 
"give  us  our  cheese.  We  will  not 
quarrel  any  more.  Indeed,  we  will 
not." 

"Just  wait  a  little,"  said  the  monkey. 

He  nibbled  first  from  one  piece  and 
then  from  the  other. 

Now,  Jocko,"  said   Pussy,  "please 

56 


give  us  the  rest.  There  is  not  much 
left,  but  let  us  have  it." 

"What  is  left,"  said  Jocko,  "is  just 
enough  to  pay  me  for  settling  this 
quarrel.  You  don't  expect  me  to  work 
for  nothing,  do  you?" 

Then  he  quickly  ate  all  the  cheese 
that  was  left  and  ran  away. 


57 


"What  foolish  cats  we  are!"  said 
Pussy.  "By  quarreling  we  have  fed 
the  monkey  while  we  shall  have  to  go 
hungry." 

"Yes,"  said  the  other  cat.  "We  will 
not  quarrel  again." 


58 


THE   WOLF  AND   THE   SHEEP 

Some  dogs  chased  Lobo  one  day. 
One  of  them  bit  him  in  the  neck. 
Lobo  turned  to  fight  him  when  another 
bit  his  leg.  A  third  bit  his  side. 

"I  can't  fight  so  many,"  said  Lobo. 

So  he  ran  to  the  woods  as  fast  as  he 
could.  The  dogs  could  not  follow  him 
there. 

Lobo  lay  down  under  some  bushes. 
The  blood  ran  from  his  side  and  legs. 
He  was  weak  and  faint.  He  stayed 
there  for  three  days. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  said  he,  «I  am 
too  weak  to  hunt  for  food.  I  shall  die 

59 


unless  I  can  get  something  to  eat.  If 
some  animal  would  only  come  near  me, 
I  might  catch  it." 

Soon  a  sheep  came  that  way  looking 
for  grass. 

"Oh,  Sheep,"  cried  Lobo,  "where  are 
you  going?" 

"I  am  going  over  to  the  other  hill," 
said  the  sheep.  "The  grass  there  is 
fresh  and  green." 

"I  am  sick,"  said  Lobo.  "Won't  you 
stop  and  do  something  for  me  first?" 

"What  do  you  want?"  said  the 
sheep. 

"I  am  hungry  and  thirsty,"  said 
Lobo.  "The  dogs  bit  my  legs  so  that 


GO 


I  cannot  walk.  If  you  will  only  bring 
me  a  drink  I  am  sure  I  can  find  some 
meat." 

"No,  I  will  not,"  said  the  sheep.  "If 
I  go  near  enough  to  give  you  a  drink, 
you  will  use  me  for  meat." 

61 


THE   CAT  AND   THE   MICE 

The  city  mouse  lived  with  her 
brothers  and  sisters  in  a  fine  big  house. 

A  cat  lived  there  too.  Every  day 
she  hunted  for  mice.  Nearly  every 
day  she  caught  one  or  two. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  cried  one  mouse. 
"She  will  soon  eat  all  of  us." 

One  night  the  mice  had  a  meeting 
to  talk  about  the  dreadful  cat.  Each 
mouse  told  how  the  cat  had  frightened 
him. 

One  mouse  said,  "If  I  go  to  the  pan- 
try to  get  a  bit  of  cheese,  she  jumps  at 


me.53 


62 


Another  said,  "If  I  go  to  the  kitchen 
for  a  little  piece  of  bread,  I  can  see 
her  bright  eyes  shining  in  the  dark." 

A  little  mouse  said,  "Last  week  I 
went  to  the  dining  room  to  pick  up 
a  few  crumbs.  She  chased  me  and 
nearly  caught  me.  I  was  so  fright- 
ened that  I  have  not  dared  to  go  out 
of  my  hole  since." 

"We  must  do  something,"  said  an 
old  mouse. 

"Let  us  all  together  run  at  her  and 
bite  her,"  said  one. 

"No,"  said  another,  "that  will  not  do. 
We  cannot  frighten  her." 

"Listen  to  me,"  said  a  young  mouse. 

63 


"I  have  a  fine  plan.  You  know  the 
cat  walks  so  softly  that  we  can  never 
hear  her  coming.  Let  us  tie  a  bell 
around  her  neck.  When  she  walks 
the  bell  will  ring.  Then  we  can  hear 
it  and  run  away." 

64 


"Good,  good!"  cried  the  mice. 
"What  a  fine  plan!  Let  us  get  a  bell 
at  once." 

"Wait  a  minute,"  cried  an  old  mouse. 
"Which  of  you  is  going  to  tie  the  bell 
on  the  cat?" 


65 


REYNARD   IN   THE  WELL 

One  day  as  Reynard  was  going 
through  a  field  he  fell  into  a  well. 
There  was  not  much  water  in  the  well 
but  he  could  not  get  out.  He  called 
for  help  as  loud  as  he  could. 

"I  don't  see  how  I  can  ever  get  out 
of  this  unless  some  one  comes  to  help 
me,"  he  said. 

He  called  again  and  again. 

After  a  long  time,  Lobo,  the  wolf, 
passed  that  way.  He  stopped  to  listen. 

"I  think  I  hear  some  one  calling," 
he  said  to  himself.  "It  sounds  like  that 
fox,  Eeynard.  I  wonder  where  he  is." 

66 


Then  he  saw  the  well  and  looked  in. 
Away  down  at  the  bottom  he  saw 
Eeynard. 

"Why,  Reynard/'  he  said,  "is  that 
you?" 

"Yes,  it  is  I,"  said  Reynard.  "I  am 
so  glad  to  see  you,  Lobo.  I  know  you 
will  help  me  out." 

"How  did  you  get  down  there,  Rey- 
nard?" asked  Lobo.  "I  should  think 
you  would  be  very  cold." 

"I  fell  in,"  said  Reynard.  "I  was 
running  and  I  did  not  see  the  well. 
Please  help  me  out.  Then  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it." 

"Poor    little    Reynard!"    said    Lobo. 

67 


"Your  fur  is  all  wet,  too.  I  am  afraid 
you  will  be  sick." 

"Won't  you  please  help  me  now, 
Lobo?  I  am  so  cold,"  said  Eeynard,  be- 
ginning to  cry. 

"I  am  so  sorry  for  you,  Eeynard," 
said  Lobo.  "I  am  afraid  you  will  starve 
if  you  don't  get  out  soon.  How  dread- 
ful it  would  be  if  you  were  to  die!" 

"Oh,  Wolf,"  said  Eeynard,  "don't  talk 
so  much.  Help  me  out  first  and  then 
pity  me  afterward." 

But  Lobo  only  laughed  and  ran 
away. 

Eeynard  called  and  called  after  him, 
but  he  did  not  come  back. 

68 


After  a  while,  the  goat  heard  Rey- 
nard calling.  He  went  to  the  well  and 
looked  in. 

When  he  saw  the  fox  he  said,  "Why, 
Reynard,  what  are  you  doing  down 
there?" 

"I  shall  not  tell  him  that  I  am  in 
trouble,"  said  Reynard  to  himself. 

Then  he  said  out  loud,  "Oh,  I  just 
came  down  here  to  get  a  drink.  It  is 
so  nice  and  cool  and  the  water  is  so 
good  that  I  like  to  stay  here." 

"I  am  very  thirsty,"  said  the  goat. 
"I  wish  I  had  some  water." 

"Come  down,"  said  Reynard.  "There 
is  plenty  for  both  of  us." 

69 


"How  can  I  get  down?"  asked  the 
goat. 

"Jump  and  I  will  catch  you,"  said 
Reynard. 

So  the  goat  jumped  into  the  well 
with  the  fox  and  drank  all  the  water 
he  could. 

"Isn^t  this  fine  water?"  asked  Rey- 
nard. 

"Yes,  the  best  I  ever  tasted.  Now 
how  do  we  get  out?" 

"  That  is  easy,"  said  Reynard.    "  First, 

^put  your  forefeet  up  against  the  side 

of  the  well  as  high  as  you  can  reach. 

That  is  the  way.     Then  I  step  on  your 

shoulders  and  on  your  head  and  jump 


70 


\\ 


out.  Like  this.  Now  I  am  out.  Thank 
you  very  much,  Billy.55 

Then  Eeynard  walked  away  and  left 
the  poor  goat  in  the  well. 

"Eeynard,  Eeynard,55 he  called,  "come 
back  and  help  me  out.55 

71 


"I  haven't  time,"  said  Eeynard.  "It 
is  getting  late,  and  I  must  go  home. 
But  let  me  tell  you  something:  if  you 
had  been  wise  you  would  have  looked 
before  you  leaped." 


THE  WOLF  AND   THE   CRANE 

Lobo,  the  wolf,  went  hunting  and 
caught  a  fat  duck.  He  was  hungry 
and  he  ate  it  so  fast  that  a  bone  stuck 
in  his  throat. 

"Oh,  what  shall  I  do?"  cried  Lobo. 
"I  cannot  get  it  out.  I  am  afraid  I 
shall  choke  to  death." 

Just  then  he  saw  Reynard,  the  fox, 
running  across  a  field. 

"Oh,  Reynard,"  he  called,  "please 
come  here.  I  have  a  bone  in  my  throat. 
I  am  afraid  I  shall  choke  to  death. 
Please  help  me  get  it  out." 

"I  won't  do  it/'  said  Reynard.     "You 

73 


would  not  help  me  out  of  the  well  yes- 
terday. I  won't  help  you  now." 

Then  Lobo  saw  Bunny,  the  hare. 

"Bunny,  Bunny,"  he  called,  "please 
help  me.  I  have  a  bone  in  my  throat. 
I  am  afraid  I  shall  choke  to  death." 

"That  is  too  bad,"  said  Bunny, 
"Open  your  mouth  and  let  me  see. 
Yes,  I  can  see  it  but,  Lobo,  I  cannot 
reach  it.  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do. 
Go  down  to  the  lake  and  call  Mrs. 
Crane.  She  has  such  a  long  bill,  that 
I  am  sure  she  can  get  it  out." 

So  Lobo  went  down  to  the  lake 
where  Mrs.  Crane  lived. 

74 


She  was  out  in  the  water  trying  to 
catch  some  frogs. 

"Dear  Mrs.  Crane,"  Lobo  called, 
"won't  you  come  here?  I  want  you  to 
help  me." 

"No,  I  will  not,"  Mrs.  Crane  said. 
"You  killed  one  of  my  brothers  and  I 
know  you  want  to  catch  me,  too." 

"  Please  help  me,"  begged  Lobo.  "  In- 
deed, I  will  not  hurt  you.  I  have  a 
bone  in  my  throat  and  I  cannot  get  it 
out.  You  have  such  a  nice  long  bill, 
I  am  sure  you  could  pull  it  out.  Do 
come  and  try.  I  will  pay  you  well  if 
you  will." 

So  Mrs.  Crane  came  out  of  the  lake. 

75 


Then  Lobo  opened  his  mouth  very  wide 
and  Mrs.  Crane  looked  down  his  throat. 

"I  see  it,"  she  said.  "Now  hold  still, 
Lobo." 

She  put  her  head  into  Lobo's  mouth. 
Her  long  bill  caught  hold  of  the  bone, 
and  it  was  out  in  a  minute. 

76 


"Here  it  is,  Lobo,"  said  Mrs.  Crane. 
"Now  give  me  my  money  and  I  will 
go." 

"I  will  not  give  you  anything,"  said 
Lbbo.  "Wasn't  it  pay  enough  that  I 
did  not  bite  your  head  off  when  I  had 

V 

it  in  my  mouth?    What  more  do  you 
want?" 


77 


THE  ANT  AND  THE  GRASSHOPPER 

A  grasshopper  met  an  ant  in  the 
field  one  day. 

"Why  do  you  work  so  hard,  Mrs. 
Ant?"  asked  the  grasshopper.  "Come 
over  here  and  play  with  me." 

"I  cannot  play  with  you.  Grasshop- 
per," said  the  ant.  "I  am  putting  away 
food  for  winter.  Don't  you  do  any 
work?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  like  to  work,"  said  the 
grasshopper.  "It  is  more  fun  to  jump 
and  sing." 

"But  winter  is  coming,"  said  the  ant. 

"What  is  the  use  of  thinking  about 

78 


winter?"  asked  the  grasshopper.  "There 
is  plenty  of  food  now,  and  I  want  to 
have  a  good  time." 

"You  may  be  sorry  some  day/'  said 
the  ant.  "I  haven't  time  to  talk  to 
you  any  longer.  Good-by." 

The  cold  days  came.  The  ground 
was  hard,  and  everything  was  covered 
with  snow. 

The  grasshopper  could  find  nothing 
to  eat.  At  last  he  went  to  the  ants' 
house. 

"Dear  Ants,"  he  said,  "won't  you 
please  give  me  something  to  eat?  I 
am  so  cold  and  hungry." 

"Why  have  you   no    food   of   your 

79 


own?59  asked  a  big  ant.  "Why  did  you 
not  save  some  grain  and  leaves  last 
summer?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  grasshopper,  "I  was  so 
happy  last  summer,  I  could  not  work. 
It  was  so  warm  and  bright  that  I 
sang  and  danced  all  day." 

"Well,"  said  the  ants,  "if  you  danced 
all  summer  you  will  have  to  starve  all 
winter."  ' 


80 


THE   COUNTRY  MOUSE  AND  THE 
CITY   MOUSE 

A  mouse  had  a  nice  little  home  in 
the  country.  Her  cousin  lived  in  a 
big  house  in  the  city. 

One  day  the  city  mouse  came  to 
visit  her. 

"Good  morning,"  she  said.  "I  have 
come  a  long  way  to  see  you.  I  was 
afraid  I  might  not  find  you  at  home  so 
I  came  early." 

"I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  said  the 
country  mouse.  "Sit  down  and  rest 
while  I  get  dinner.  Here  are  beans 

81 


and  peas  and  some  grains  of  wheat. 
Do  come  and  eat." 

"Poor  thing!"  thought  the  city 
mouse.  "How  little  she  has  to  eat! 
I  should  think  she  would  starve;  but 

82 


I  must  not  let  her  see  that  I  am  sorry 
for  her." 

Then  she  said  out  loud,  "You  are 
very  kind.  I  did  not  have  any  break- 
fast this  morning.  I  am  very  hungry." 

And  she  politely  nibbled  a  few  peas 
and  ate  some  wheat. 

When  they  had  finished,  the  city 
mouse  said,  "Don't  you  get  very  lone- 
some out  here  in  the  country?" 

"No,"  said  the  country  mouse,  "I  like 
it  here." 

"But  it  is  so  quiet,"  said  the  city 
mouse.  "In  the  city  there  is  so  much 
to  see  and  do." 

"It  must  be  very  wonderful  there," 

83 


said  the  country  mouse.  "Please  tell 
ine  about  it." 

"My  sisters  and  I  live  in  a  very  large 
house,"  said  the  city  mouse.  "There 
are  many  rooms,  and  we  have  such 
fine  things  to  eat." 

"What  kind  of  things?"  asked  the 
country  mouse. 

"Oh,  cake  and  pie  and  cheese  and 
turkey,  and  everything  good  that  you 
can  think  of,"  replied  the  city  mouse. 

"I  wish  I  could  have  some  of  them," 
said  the  country  mouse.  "I  have  never 
tasted  pie  or  cake." 

"Come  home  with  me,"  said  the  city 

84 


mouse.  "I  will  give  you  all  the  good 
things  you  can  eat." 

"I  wish  I  might  go,"  said  the  coun- 
try mouse. 

"Go  with  me  to-night,"  said  the  city 
mouse.  "  There  is  plenty  of  room 

4 

where  I  live.  After  you  have  been 
there  a  few  days  you  will  never  want 
to  come  back  here." 

"All  right,"  said  the  country  mouse. 
"I  will  go." 

"We  will  start  as  soon  as  it  is  dark/5 
said  the  city  mouse.  "Then  no  one 


can  see  us." 


So  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  coun- 
try mouse  and  her  cousin  started  for 


85 


the  city.  They  ran  and  ran  until  the 
country  mouse  was  tired. 

"Cousin,"  she  said,  "let  us  stop  here 
and  rest.  I  am  so  tired  that  I  cannot 
run  another  step." 

"Oh,  come  on,"  said  the  city  mouse. 
"It  is  not  much  farther.  Think  of  the 
good  supper  we  shall  have." 

So  they  ran  on  again. 

"Here  is  the  house,"  said  the  city 
mouse.  "Now  follow  me  and  I  will 
show  you  the  hole  where  we  get  in. 
Now  we  are  in.  Look!  Isn't  this  a 
fine  place?" 

"Yes."  said  the  country  mouse,  "it  is 

86 


beautiful.  Now  where  are  the  good 
things  to  eat?" 

"They  are  in  the  pantry,"  said  the 
city  mouse.  "Come  this  way.  Now, 
can't  you  smell  them?  Slip  through 
this  hole  and  then  you  shall  have  all 
you  want." 

"Is  this  big  place  the  pantry?"  asked 
the  country  mouse. 

"Yes;  now  jump  up  on  this  shelf. 
Here  are  the  cakes.  Over  there  are 
the  pies.  Just  try  some  of  this  crust. 
Isn't  it  good?"  ' 

"Yes,  indeed,"  she  said.  "Oh,  Cousin, 
I  am  so  glad  I  came  home  with  you! 
I  want  to  stay  here  always." 


87 


Just  then  the  door  opened. 

"Bun,"  said  the  city  mouse.  "Get 
back  into  the  hole." 

Both  the  mice  ran  into  the  hole  as 
fast  as  they  could  go. 

88 


"What  was  that?"  asked  the  country 
mouse.  "Oh,  I  was  so  frightened!" 

"That  was  only  the  cook,"  said  the 
city  mouse.  "She  will  leave  in  a  min- 
ute. Then  we  can  go  out  and  get 
some  more  to  eat.  She  has  gone  now. 
Come,  I  smell  some  cheese." 

They  were  soon  back  on  the  shelf, 
trying  the  meat  and  cheese. 

Suddenly  the  door  opened  again  and 
they  heard  a  loud  bark. 

Again  the  mice  ran  for  their  holes. 

"Oh,  Cousin,"  cried  the  country 
mouse,  "what  dreadful  thing  was 
that?" 

"That  was  only  the  dog,"  said  the 

89 


city  mouse.  "He  won't  stay  long. 
Then  we  can  go  back  again.  But 
what  is  the  matter?" 

"I  am  going  home.  Cousin,"  said  the 
country  mouse.  "You  may  have  your 
pies  and  cakes  and  be  frightened  all 
the  time  if  you  want  to.  I  would 
rather  have  my  beans  and  corn  in  a 
quiet  place.  Good-by." 

90 


THE   CROW  AND   THE   PITCHER 

"I  wish  I  could  find  a  drink,"  said 
Mrs.  Crow  one  afternoon.  "I  haven't 
had  any  water  since  morning." 

"I  know  where  you  can  get  some," 
said  Bunny,  the  hare. 

"Do  tell  me,"  said  Mrs.  Crow.  "I  am 
so  thirsty." 

"Do  you  see  that  tree  over  there?" 
asked  Bunny. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Crow,  "I  see  it." 

"By  the  side  of  it  is  a  big  pitcher  of 
water,"  said  the  hare. 

"Thank  you,  Bunny;  you  are  very 
good,"  said  Mrs.  Crow.  "I  will  go  at 


once." 


91 


She  flew  quickly  to  the  tree. 

"Yes,  here  is  the  pitcher/3  she  said. 
"Now  I  shall  have  a  good  drink." 

The  pitcher  was  tall,  and  there  was 
not  much  water  in  it. 

Mrs.  Crow  tried  to  drink,  but  her  bill 
could  not  reach  the  water. 

She  tried  first  on  one  side  of  the 
pitcher  and  then  on  the  other.  She 
could  not  wet  even  the  tip  of  her 
bill. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  said  Mrs.  Crow. 
"I  must  have  a  drink." 

She  stood  still  and  thought  for  a 
minute. 

"Perhaps  I  can  break  the  pitcher," 

92 


she  said.  "Then  I  can  get  a  drink  as 
the  water  runs  out." 

She  pecked  it  with  her  bill,  and  she 
hit  it  with  her  foot. 

"No,  it  is  too  hard,"  she  said.  "I 
cannot  break  it.  I  wonder  if  I  could 
tip  it  over." 

She  pushed  against  the  pitcher,  but 
she  could  not  move  it. 

"What  a  heavy  pitcher!"  she  said. 

She  stopped  and  thought  again. 

"I  will  try  another  plan,"  she  said. 

Near  the  pitcher  was  a  number  of 
little  pebbles.  She  picked  up  one  in 
her  bill  and  dropped  it  into  the  pitcher, 

93 


^ 
.^fm^$£5*£ 


Then  she 
dropped  an- 
other in.  After 
many  pebbles 
were  dropped 
in,  the  water 
reached  nearly 
to  the  top,  and 
Mrs.  Crow  had 
a  drink. 

"Where 
there's  a  will 
there's  a  way," 
she  said  as  she 
flew  off. 


REYNARD   AND    PUSSY 

Eeynard  met  Pussy  in  the  forest  one 
day. 

"Do  you  know  any  tricks,  Pussy?" 
asked  Eeynard. 

"I  know  one  or  two,"  said  Pussy. 

"Only  one  or  two?"  asked  Reynard. 
"That  is  not  very  many." 

"But  they  are  very  good  ones,"  said 
Pussy.  "How  many  tricks  do  you 
know,  Reynard?" 

"Oh,  I  know  a  thousand,"  said  Rey- 
nard. "I  know  more  tricks  than  any 
animal  in  the  forest.  I  know  a  hun- 
dred tricks  to  play  011  dogs.  What 

95 


would  you  do.  Pussy,  if  the  dogs  were 
to  come?" 

"I  should  have  but  one  plan,"  said 
Pussy.  "If  that  did  not  help  me,  I 
should  be  caught." 

"Poor  Pussy,"  said  Eeynard.  "I  am 
sorry  for  you.  I  will  teach  you  a  few 
of  my  tricks,  if  you  want  me  to." 

"Listen,"  said  Pussy.  "I  think  I 
hear  the  dogs.  There  they  come,  Eey- 
nard. I  will  try  my  one  trick." 

Pussy  ran  up  a  tree  and  sat  down  on 
one  of  the  branches.  The  dogs  barked 
at  her,  but  they  could  not  reach  her. 

"Now  I  will  see  Reynard  play  some 
of  his  tricks,"  said  Pussy. 

96 


But  the  fox  with  his  many  tricks 
could  not  get  out  of  sight.  The  dogs 
chased  him  and  bit  him. 

Pussy  watched  from  the  tree. 

"One  good  plan  is  worth  a  hundred 
little  tricks,"  she  said. 


97 


LOBO   AND   BRUNO 

One  day  Bruno  met  Lobo,  the  wolf, 
in  the  woods. 

"Why,  Lobo/5  he  said,  "what  is  the 
matter?  You  are  so  thin,  I  hardly 
knew  you." 

"I  am  nearly  starved,  Bruno,"  said 
Lobo.  "I  haven't  had  anything  to  eat 
for  a  long  time." 

"Can't  you  catch  anything?"  asked 
Bruno. 

"No,"  said  Lobo.  "I  have  hunted 
and  hunted,  but  I  can't  find  even  a 
mouse.  How  fat  you  are,  Bruno!  You 
must  have  a  great  deal  to  eat." 

98 


"Oh,  yes,"  said  Bruno.  "I  have  all 
that  I  want." 

"Where  do  you  get  it?"  asked  Lobo. 

"My  master  gives  it  to  me." 

"Does  he  give  you  meat?" 

"Yes,  I  have  meat  three  times  each 
day.  Sometimes  there  is  so  much  that 
I  cannot  eat  it  all.  Then  I  take  what 
is  left  and  bury  it.  My  master  is  very 
good  to  me.  He  plays  with  me  and 
pets  me  every  day." 

"I  wish  I  had  such  a  home,"  said 
Lobo. 

"Come  home  with  me,"  said  Bruno. 
"You  can  live  with  me  and  help  me 
guard  the  house  at  night." 

99 


«  That  will  be  fine/'  said  Lobo.  «  Let 
us  go  at  once." 

So  Bruno  and  Lobo  ran  down  the 
road  together. 

They  had  not  gone  far  when  Lobo 


100 


said,  "Wait  a  minute,  Bruno.  What 
is  that  mark  on  the  side  of  your  neck?" 

"That  isn't  anything,"  said  Bruno. 
"The  chain  rubbed  the  hair  off  a  little 
bit." 

"What  chain?"  asked  Lobo. 

"The  one  they  fasten  me  with,"  said 
Bruno. 

"Do  they  fasten  you  with  a  chain?" 
asked  Lobo. 

"Why,  yes,"  said  Bruno,  "all  dogs 
are  fastened  with  chains,  sometimes." 

"Would  they  fasten  me,  too?"  asked 
Lobo. 

"Yes,"    said    Bruno,    "I  think    they 

would,  once  in  a  while." 

101 


"1  wbii't  be  fastened  with  a  chain," 
said  Lobo.  "I  am  going  back  to  the 
woods.  I  would  rather  be  f ree,  even  if 
I  do  not  get  much  to  eat,  than  to  have 
three  meals  each  day  and  be  fastened 
with  a  chain." 


102 


THE  QUARREL 

"Where  are  you  going,  Leo?"  asked 
Bruin  one  morning. 

"I  am  going  hunting,"  said  Leo.  "I 
haven't  had  anything  to  eat  for  two 
days." 

"Let  me  go  with  you,"  said  Bruin. 
"I  think  I  know  where  we  can  catch  a 

deer." 

^ 

"I  am  very  fond  of  fat  deer,"  said 
Leo.  "Which  way  shall  we  go?" 

"Let  us  go  up  on  the  mountain,"  said 
Bruin.  "I  caught  some  sheep  there 
last  week." 

103 


So  Leo  and  Bruin  started  off  to- 
gether. 

For  a  long  time  they  hunted,  but 
could  not  find  anything.  At  last  they 
saw  a  little  deer.  They  both  sprang 
upon  it  and  killed  it. 

The  deer  was  small,  and  Leo  and 
Bruin  were  both  hungry. 

"There  is  not  enough  for  both  of 
us,"  said  Leo.  "You  go  and  catch 
something  else,  Bruin.  I  want  all  of 
this  deer  myself." 

"You  shall  not  have  it,"  said  Bruin. 
"I  brought  you  up  here  and  showed 
you  where  to  find  it.  It  is  mine." 


104 


"No,  it  is  not,"  said  Leo.  "I  killed 
it  with  my  strong  jaws." 

"No,  I  killed  it  with  my  big  paws/' 
said  Bruin. 

Then  they  began  to  fight.  Leo  bit 
Bruin,  and  Bruin  hit  Leo.  Leo  roared, 
and -Bruin  growled. 

Reynard,  the  fox,  was  also  hunting 
on  the  mountain  that  morning.  He 
heard  the  noise  and  came  to  see  what 
was  the  matter. 

"Why,  Bruin  and  Leo  are  fighting," 
he  said.  "I  will  watch  them  awhile. 
I  will  hide  behind  this  bush  so  they 
cannot  see  me." 

105 


So  he  sat  down  and  watched  them  a 
long  time. 

"I  wonder  what  they  are  fighting 
about,"  Eeynard  said  to  himself.  "I 
think  I  will  creep  up  a  little  nearer 
and  see." 

Then  he  hid  behind  a  big  rock  that 
was  near. 

"Oh,  yes,  I  see,"  said  he.  "They 
have  killed  a  little  deer  and  both  want 
it.  I  think  that  deer  would  make  a 
good  dinner  for  me.  I  will  wait 
awhile." 

Leo  and  Bruin  still  fought.  At  last 
they  became  so  tired  and  worn  out 
that  they  could  fight  110  longer.  They 

106 


lay  upon  the  ground  and  glared  at  each 
other. 

"Now  is  my  time/'  said  Eeynard. 
He  slipped  up  quietly,  seized  the  deer 
and  ran  away  with  it. 

107 


The  lion  and  the  bear  saw  him  and 
tried  to  chase  him,  but  they  were  too 
tired  to  go  far. 

They  lay  down  again  and  watched 
Reynard.  Over  on  the  other  hill  he 
was  having  a  fine  dinner. 

"How  foolish  we  are/5  said  the  lion, 
"to  take  all  this  trouble  to  feed  the 
fox!" 


108 


THE  BLUE  WOLF 

One  night,  Lobo,  the  wolf,  went 
down  to  the  home  of  Farmer  Davis. 

The  farmer's  wife  had  that  day 
been  using  some  blue  dye.  "I  will 
leave  it  here  in  this  tub,"  she  said.  "I 
may  want  it  in  the  morning." 

As  Lobo  jumped  over  the  fence  he 
fell  into  the  tub. 

"Dear  me!"  he  said.  "What  is  this? 
My  fur  is  all  wet  with  some  queer 
stuff.  I  do  not  like  it." 

He  tried  to  lick  it  off,  but  it  tasted 
so  bad  that  he  soon  stopped.  He  shook 

109 


himself  again  arid  again,  but  still  he 
could  not  get  it  out  of  his  fur. 

Next  morning  he  went  down  to  the 
pond  and  looked  at  himself  in  the  water. 

"Why,"  he  said,  "I  am  blue.  That 
stuff  has  made  my  brown  fur  turn  blue. 
What  shall  I  do?  What  will  the  other 
wolves  say  when  they  see  me  ?  I  don't 
want  them  to  see  me.  I  think  I  will 
run  away." 

So  he  went  to  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain  and  stayed  there  three  days. 

Then  he  said,  "I  don't  like  it  here. 
I  want  to  go  home.  I  know  what  I 
will  do.  I  will  play  a  trick  on  the 

other  animals." 

no 


So  he  went  back  home,  but  he  walked 
slowly  and  did  not  speak  to  any  one. 

The  other  animals  all  came  to  look 
at  him.  They  did  not  know  that  it 
was  Lobo. 

"What  a  queer  animal!"  said  Rey- 
nard. "Who  can  he  be?  I  never  saw 
a  blue  animal  before." 

"He  looks  very  strange,"  said  the 
goat.  "Do  you  think  he  will  eat  us?" 

"I  am  afraid  of  him,"  said  the  mon- 
key. "I  don't  like  the  color  of  his  fur." 

After  the  animals  had  all  looked  at 
him  and  talked  about  him,  Lobo  sat 
down  and  called  them  to  him. 

"Listen  to  me,"  he  said  in  a  strange 

111 


voice.  "I  have  come  to  be  your  king. 
Don't  you  see  that  I  am  different  from 
any  of  you?  I  have  blue  fur.  No 
other  animal  has  such  fur.  It  is  only 
for  kings.  Leo,  the  lion,  hasn't  such 
fur.  I  will  be  king  in  his  place." 

"Good!5*  cried  some  of  the  animals. 
"It  will  be  fine  to  have  a  king  with 
blue  fur." 

But  some  of  the  wolves  talked  to- 
gether. 

"I  think  he  looks  like  us,"  said  one 
wolf. 

"Do  as  I  say,"  said  an  old  wolf.  "Slip 
up  behind  him  and  give  the  howl  of 
the  pack.  If  he  is  a  wolf  he  will 

112 


answer.  Then  we  shall  know  who 
he  is." 

So  the  wolves  slipped  up  behind  him. 
Then  all  together  they  gave  a  loud 
howl. 

Before  he  thought  Lobo  answered. 

"Ho,  ho,  Lobo!"  cried  the  wolves, 
"  we  know  you." 

"You  are  not  a  king!"  cried  the  other 
animals. 

"  Blue  fur  will  not  make  a  king  of  a 
wolf,"  said  Reynard. 


113 


THE   LION   AND  THE   MOUSE 

One  day,  Leo,  the  lion,  lay  down  by 
his  den. 

"I  am  so  tired,"  he  said,  "I  am  going 
to  take  a  nap." 

He  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

A  mouse  lived  near  Leo's  den.  She 
was  hurrying  home  to  her  little  ones. 
She  thought  the  lion's  paw  was  a  root 
and  ran  across  it. 

This  woke  the  lion  up.  He  was 
angry  and  roared  loudly.  The  mouse 
was  so  frightened  that  she  could  not 
move. 

114 


Then  Leo  raised  his  big  paw  and  put 
it  down  011  the  poor  little  mouse. 

She  squealed  and  squealed. 

"Oh,  please,  Leo,  let  me  go,"  she 
begged. 

"No,  I  will  not  let  you  go,"  said  Leo. 


115 


"You  woke  me  up,  and  I  am  going  to 
eat  you." 

"I  did  not  mean  to  wake  you  up, 
Leo,"  said  the  mouse.  "I  thought  your 
paw  was  a  root.  Please  do  not  eat  me." 

"But  I  am  hungry,"  said  Leo.  "I 
want  something  to  eat." 

"Oh,  I  am  so  little,  Leo!  It  would 
take  a  hundred  mice  to  make  a  dinner 
for  you.  Let  me  go  and  I  will  do 
something  for  you  some  day." 

"That  is  a  good  joke,"  said  Leo. 
"What  do  you  think  a  little  mouse  like 
you  could  do  for  me?" 

"I  don't  know,  Leo,"  she  said,  "but 
please  let  me  go." 

116 


"Well,  I  will  let  you  go  this  time," 
said  Leo.  "But  don't  wake  me  up 
again  when  I  am  asleep." 

The  mouse  ran  away  to  her  home 
and  her  little  ones. 

The  next  day  Leo  went  out  to  hunt. 
He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  was 
caught  in  the  net  of  some  hunters. 

He  roared  and  roared. 

The  mouse  was  at  the  door  of  her 
little  home. 

"I  wonder  what  that  noise  is,"  she 
said.  "  It  must  be  Leo.  How  he  roars ! 
Something  must  be  the  matter.  I 
think  I  will  go  and  see." 

117 


She  ran  toward  the  woods  and  soon 
found  the  lion. 

"Why,  Leo,"  she  said,  "what  is  the 
matter?" 

"I  am  caught  in  this  net,"  said  Leo, 
"and  I  can't  get  out.  Soon  the  hunters 
will  come  and  kill  me." 

"Can't  you  break  those  ropes?"  asked 
the  mouse. 

"No,  they  are  too  strong,"  said  Leo. 
"I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  die." 

"Let  me  help  you,"  she  said.  "I 
think  I  can  gnaw  some  of  the  ropes. 
Hold  still,  Leo.  Don't  roar  so." 

Then  she  used  her  sharp  little 
teeth. 

118 


Soon  one  of  the  ropes  was  cut,  then 
another  and  another. 

"I  think  I  can  break  the  others,"  said 
Leo.  "Now  I  am  free.  Thank  you, 
dear  little  Mouse;  you  saved  my  life." 

"You  see  I  did  help  you,  Leo,"  she 
said,  "even  though  I  am  only  a  mouse." 

119 


REYNARD  AND  THE  HEN 

One  moonlight  night  Eeyiiard  started 
out  hunting. 

"I  think  I  know  how  to  get  a  good 
fat  hen  to-night,"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  met  Bruin  on  the  road. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the 
bear. 

"I  am  going  to  the  henhouse  for  a 
nice  fat  hen/'  said  Eeynard. 

"You'd  better  be  careful,"  said  Bruin. 
"Farmer  Davis  has  bought  a  new  dog. 
He  is  a  great  big  fellow  and  is  not 
afraid  of  any  animal.  He  nearly  caught 
Lobo  last  week." 

120 


"I  am  not  afraid,"  said  Reynard.  "I 
know  a  trick  or  two." 

Soon  he  reached  the  henhouse. 

High  on  a  perch  was  a  fine  young 
hen. 

"There  is  my  supper,"  said  Keyiiard, 
"but  how  can  I  get  it?  I  shall  have 
to  try  a  trick." 

Then  he  called  softly,  "Madam  Hen, 
Madam  Hen,  wake  up!  Have  you 
heard  the  news?" 

"What  news?"  asked  the  hen. 

"Good  news,"  said  Reynard. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  hen. 

"King  Leo  has  made  a  new  law," 
said  Reynard. 

121 


"I  have  not  heard  of  it,"  said  the  hen. 

"I  have  come  to  tell  you  about  it,55 
said  Reynard.  "King  Leo  says  that 
no  animal  shall  kill  any  other  animal. 
He  says  that  all  animals  and  birds 
must  be  good  friends." 

"That  is  fine  news,"  said  the  hen. 
"I  am  so  glad  to  hear  it." 

"Come  down  here,  Madam  Hen,  and 
I  will  tell  you  more  about  it,"  said 
Reynard. 

"  Listen! "  said  the  hen.  "  I  think  I 
hear  some  one  coming." 

"Who  is  it?"  asked  Reynard. 

"I  think  it  is  the  dog,"  said  the  hen. 

"I  must  go,"  said  Reynard. 

123 


"Why  do  you  hurry?"  asked  the  hen. 
"I  was  just  coming  down.  Stay  and 
talk  the  good  news  over  with  the  dog." 

"I  haven't  time  to  talk  to  him  now," 

» 

said  the  fox. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  called  the  hen. 
"Here  he  comes.  I  am  sure  he  will 
want  to  meet  such  a  good  friend." 

But  Eeynard  was  running  as  fast  as 
he  could. 

"I  should  like  to  stay,"  he  called  back, 
"but  I  am  afraid  the  dog  may  not  have 
heard  of  the  new  law." 


124 


HOW  LOBO  TOOK  CARE  OF  THE  SHEEP 

Lobo,  the  wolf,  saw  a  flock  of  sheep 
on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 

"What  fine  sheep  those  are!"  he  said 
to  himself.  "I  hope  Leo  or  Bruin  will 
not  find  them.  I  want  them  for  my- 
self. I  wonder  how  I  can  get  them." 

He  watched  them  all  day,  but  the 
shepherd  was  with  them  and  Lobo  did 
not  dare  go  very  near. 

The  next  day  he  came  again  and 
watched  them.  The  shepherd  saw 
him  and  said,  "There  is  the  wolf  that 
was  here  yesterday.  If  he  comes 
nearer  I  shall  kill  him." 

125 


Just  then  Reynard  came  along. 

"I  will  drive  him  away,"  said  Lobo. 

He  ran  at  Reynard  and  made  him 
go  back  to  the  woods.  Then  he  came 
back  and  watched  the  sheep. 

"That  must  be  a  good  wolf,"  said  the 
shepherd.  "He  drove  away  the  fox. 
I  believe  he  wants  to  help  me." 

The  next  day  Bruin  came  from  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain. 

"There  is  the  bear  that  stole  a  lamb 
last  week,"  said  the  shepherd. 

Lobo  ran  at  the  bear.  He  bit  him 
until  Bruin  was  glad  to  run  away. 

"Good  Lobo,"  said  the  shepherd,  "you 
are  better  than  a  dozen  dogs." 


126 


Every  day  Lobo  came  and  watched 
the  sheep,  and  every  day  the  shepherd 
let  him  come  a  little  nearer. 

One  day  the  shepherd  said,  "Lobo, 
you  are  such  a  good  wolf,  you  cao 

127 


watcli  the  sheep  as  well  as  I  can.  I 
must  go  to  town  this  afternoon.  You 
take  care  of  the  sheep.  Don't  let  Bruin 
or  Leo  get  any  of  them." 

Then  the  shepherd  went  away  and 
Lobo  was  left  with  the  sheep. 

"This  is  just  the  chance  I  have  been 
waiting  for,"  said  Lobo. 

128 


He  sprang  among  the  sheep  and 
killed  a  large  number  of  them. 

After  he  had  eaten  as  many  as  he 
could  he  started  for  the  woods. 

"I  think  the  shepherd  will  soon  be 
home,"  Lobo  said  to  himself.  "He  may 
be  a  little  cross  when  he  gets  here.  I 
don't  think  I  care  to  see  him." 

When  the  shepherd  returned  he 
found  that  Lobo  was  gone  and  many  of 
the  sheep  were  killed. 

"It  serves  me  right/5  he  said,  "for 
trusting  my  sheep  to  a  wolf." 


129 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  TORTOISE 

One  day  the  brown  hare  met  a  tor- 
toise. He  had  never  seen  one  before. 

"What  a  queer  fellow  you  are!"  said 
the  hare.  "What  short  legs  you  have! 
Can  you  run?" 

"I  cannot  run  very  fast,"  said  the 
tortoise,  "but  I  can  beat  some  animals." 

"  How  funny ! "  said  the  hare.  "  Now, 
Mr.  Tortoise,  I  should  like  to  know 
what  animal  you  could  beat?" 

"Well,  Mr.  Hare,"  said  the  tortoise. 
"I  could  beat  you." 

The  hare  laughed  and  laughed. 


130 


"That  is  the  best  joke  I  ever  heard," 
he  said.  "You  must  be  crazy." 

"No,  I  am  not  crazy,"  said  the  tor- 
toise. "I  know  what  I  am  talking 
about.  Shall  we  race,  Mr.  Hare?" 

"All  right,  I  will  race,"  said  the  hare; 
"but  it  is  very  funny." 

"There  is  the  fox  over  there  in  the 
road,"  said  the  tortoise.  "Ask  him  to 
come  and  see  that  the  race  is  fair." 

"Oh,  Eeynard,"  called  the  hare, 
"come  here.  This  silly  tortoise  wants 
to  run  a  race  with  me.  Isn't  that  a 
joke?  We  want  you  to  tell  us  when 
to  start  and  how  far  to  run." 

"All  right,"  said  the  fox.     "I  like  to 

131 


see  races.  Do  you  see  that  big  tree 
down  there  in  the  road?  The  one  who 
gets  there  first  wins  the  race.  Now 
get  back  here  on  this  line.  Start 
when  I  count  three.  Now,  one,  TWO, 
THREE!" 

When  Eeynard  said  "Three,"  away 
they  both  went. 

The  hare  jumped  along  fora  minute 
or  two,  then  he  looked  around. 

"I  wonder  where  that  tortoise  is,"  he 
said  to  himself.  "The  idea  of  think- 
ing that  he  could  race  with  me!  It  is 
hot  to-day.  What  is  the  use  of  my 
going  so  fast?  I  will  lie  down  and 
take  a  little  nap." 

132 


The  poor  tortoise  was  left  far  behind. 

"I  know  I  cannot  go  very  fast  but  I 
will  get  to  the  tree  some  time,"  he  said 
to  himself. 

He  moved  slowly  along  the  road. 
After  a  while  he  saw  the  hare. 

133 


"Why,"  he  said,  "here  is  the  hare. 
I  do  believe  he  is  asleep.  How  queer 
that  he  should  go  to  sleep  when  he  is 
running  a  race!  If  he  will  only  sleep 
a  little  longer  I  can  win." 

After  a  while  the  hare  woke  up 

"Well,"  he  said,  "I  had  a  good  nap. 
I  don't  see  that  tortoise  anywhere.  I 
wonder  if  I  slept  too  long." 

He  ran  down  the  road  as  fast  as  he 
could. 

When  he  reached  the  tree,  Eeynard 
and  the  tortoise  were  both  there  wait- 
ing for  him. 

"Slow  and  steady  work  wins  the 
race,"  said  Reynard. 

134 


THE  FROG  AND  THE  MOUSE 

A  frog  and  a  mouse  once  became 
good  friends. 

The  frog  lived  most  of  the  time  in 
the  water.  He  sometimes  went  to  visit 
the  mouse. 

"I  have  such  a  nice  home,  Mrs. 
Mouse,"  said  the  frog  one  day.  "I  wish 
you  would  come  and  see  where  I 
live.55 

"But  you  live  under  the  water,55  said 
the  mouse.  "I  cannot  go  there  for  I 
cannot  swim.55 

"I  will  teach  you  how  to  swim,55  said 
the  frog. 

135 


"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  learn/7  said  the 
mouse. 

"Oh,  it  is  very  easy/'  said  the  frog. 
"Just  let  me  show  you  how.  I'll  tie 
your  foot  to  mine  with  a  piece  of  grass. 
Then  I  can  drag  you  in  the  water  until 
you  can  swim  by  yourself." 

So  the  mouse  went  with  the  frog. 

The  frog  laughed  to  himself.  "What 
a  good  joke  this  will  be  on  Mrs.  Mouse !" 
he  said. 

Soon  they  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
water.  The  frog  gave  a  big  leap.  He 
went  far  under  the  water.  Poor  Mrs 
Mouse  went,  too. 


136 


"Oh,  Mr.  Frog,  I  don't  like  this,"  she 
said.  "Please  take  me  to  the  shore." 

But  the  frog  only  laughed. 

"Come,  let  us  swim  some  more,"  he 
said. 

But  the  little  mouse  did  not  answer. 
She  was  dead. 

The  frog  swam  back  and  forth  and 
jumped  and  played. 

The  dead  mouse  floated  on  the  top 
of  the  water  near  him. 

A  fish  hawk  flew  over  the  pond.  She 
was  looking  for  something  to  eat. 

"Here  is  a  dead  mouse,"  she  said. 
"I  will  take  it  home  to  my  little 


ones." 


137 


The  hawk  picked  up  the  mouse  in 
her  talons  and  flew  away  with  it. 

The  frog  had  to  go  too,  for  his  leg 
was  still  tied  to  the  dead  mouse. 

"I  wish  I  had  not  played  that  joke," 
he  said. 


138 


THE   SICK   LION 

Leo,  the  lion,  was  sick.  He  stayed 
in  his  den  all  day. 

He  said,  "Oh,  I  am  so  sick!  I  cannot 
stand  or  walk.  I  can  catch  nothing  to 
eat.  I  know  I  shall  starve." 

Just  then  a  goat  passed  by. 

"I  wish  I  could  catch  that  goat,"  said 
Leo  to  himself.  "What  a  good  dinner 
he  would  make!" 

So  he  called  as  loud  as  he  could, 
"Oh,  Goat,  won't  you  come  in  to  see 
me?  I  am  sick  and  I  want  some  one 
to  talk  to.  Do  come  in  for  a  little 
while." 

139 


The  goat  went  into  the  lion  s  den. 
Leo  caught  him  and  ate  him  up. 

The  next  day  a  gray  rabbit  hopped 
along  near  the  den. 

"He  is  not  very  big/'  said  Leo,  "but 
I  think  I  can  catch  him." 

Then  he  called,  "Oh,  little  Rabbit, 
wait  a  minute.  I  haven't  seen  you  for 
a  long  time.  I  am  very  sick.  Won't 
you  come  in?  I  am  all  alone  and  I 
need  some  one  to  take  care  of  me." 

The  rabbit  hopped  into  the  lion's 
den.  Leo  caught  him  and  ate  him  up. 

Next  a  big,  white  sheep  came  to  the 
door  and  looked  in. 

"Oh,  come  in  and  help  me,"  called 

140 


Leo.  "I  am  so  sick  that  I  think  I  am 
going  to  die.  I  am  all  alone.  Please 
come  in  and  sit  by  my  side." 

The  big,  white  sheep  went  into  the 
lion's  den.  Leo  caught  him  and  ate 
him  up,  too. 

After  a  while  Leo  looked  out  of  the 
door  again.  He  saw  Reynard,  the  fox, 
sitting  at  the  other  side  of  the  road. 

"How  do  you  do,  Reynard!"  called 
Leo.  "Why  don't  you  come  over  to 
see  me?  You  know  I  am  very  sick. 
It  does  me  so  much  good  to  see  my  kind 
friends.  Do  come  in." 

"No,  thank  you,  friend  Leo,"  said 
Reynard,  "I  do  not  want  to  come  to 

141 


see  you.  1  think  it  is  better  for  me  to 
stay  out  here.  I  see  that  the  tracks  of 
the  goat  and  the  rabbit  and  the  big, 
white  sheep  all  point  toward  your  den. 
But  I  do  not  see  their  tracks  pointing 
out  again." 

142 


THE   WOLF   IN   SHEEP'S   CLOTHING 

As  Lobo  was  going  home  one  morn- 
ing he  met  his  cousin. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Cousin?"  he 
asked. 

"I  am  going  after  some  sheep,  Lobo," 
said  the  other  wolf.  "Won't  you  go 
too  ?  I  know  where  there  is  a  fine  flock." 

"I  don't  think  I  want  to  go,"  said 
Lobo.  "I  know  where  the  flock  is.  The 
shepherd  let  me  take  care  of  the  sheep 
once  last  summer.  He  does  not  like 
me  very  well  now.  I  heard  him  say 
he  would  kill  every  wolf  he  could  find. 
You'd  better  not  go." 

143 


"I  am  not  afraid,"  said  the  other 
wolf.  "I  know  a  new  trick.  I  will 
fool  the  shepherd." 

"How  will  you  do  it?"  asked  Lobo. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  wolf. 
"Last  week  I  found  the  skin  of  a 
sheep.  I  am  going  to  dress  myself  in 
it.  Then  the  shepherd  will  think  that 
I  am  a  sheep." 

"I  am  afraid  he  will  kill  you,"  said 
Lobo. 

The  wolf  laughed  and  ran  away. 

That  night  he  put  on  the  sheep's 
skin.  It  covered  him  all  over.  He 
looked  like  a  big,  white  sheep. 

Next  morning  when  the  sheep  were 

144 


eating  grass  he  slipped  in  among  them. 
He  pretended  to  eat  grass  too. 

The  shepherd  did  not  notice  him,  and 
he  stayed  there  all  day. 

Next  morning  when  the  shepherd 
was  riot  looking  he  caught  a  lamb  and 
ate  it.  The  next  day  he  ate  a  sheep. 
He  did  this  for  several  days. 

Then  the  shepherd  counted  the 
sheep. 

"Some  of  my  sheep  and  lambs  are 
gone,"  he  said.  "Where  can  they  be? 
I  have  not  seen  any  wolves  around." 

The  next  morning  he  counted  the 
sheep  again. 


145 


"Two  more  sheep  are  gone/5  he  said. 
"I  do  not  understand  it.  Perhaps  they 
are  lost.  I  will  go  and  look  for 
them." 

The  shepherd  climbed  up  the  moun- 
tain. Behind  a  rock  he  saw  two  sheep. 

"There  are  my  two  sheep/'  he  said. 
"  But  how  queer !  One  of  them  is 
eating  the  other.  I  will  find  out  about 
this." 

Soon  he  saw  that  one  of  the  animals 
was  a  wolf. 

He  struck  the  wolf  with  his  club. 
Then  he  took  a  rope  and  hanged  him 
on  a  tree. 

"Now,"  said  the  shepherd,  "I  think 

146 


you  will  not  eat  any  more  of  my 
sheep." 

Some  men  passed  by. 

"Why,  Shepherd,"  they  said,  "what 
made  you  hang  a  sheep?" 

"I  did  not  hang  a  sheep,"  he  said. 
"I  hanged  a  wolf  who  was  dressed  in 
sheep's  clothing." 

147 


HOW   REYNARD   LOST   HIS  TAIL 

One  day  Reynard  said  to  Lobo,  "Let 
us  go  hunting  to-night.  Farmer  Davis 
has  some  nice,  fat  hens.  They  are  easy 
to  catch.  We  can  get  them  as  soon  as 
it  is  dark." 

"I  don't  think  I  will  go  with  you, 
Reynard,"  said  Lobo.  "Farmer  Davis 
has  some  new  traps.  Bruin  told  me 
so.  He  said  that  one  of  them  nearly 
caught  him.  I  am  afraid  of  them.  I 
don't  want  to  go." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  traps,"  said  Rey- 
nard. "I  never  saw  a  trap  that  could 
catch  me.  An  animal  who  gets  caught 

148 


in  a  trap  is  very  stupid.  Traps  may 
catch  bears  and  rabbits  but  they  can't 
catch  foxes.  I  am  sorry  you  won't  go 
with  me." 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Eeynard 
started  for  the  henhouse. 

He  said  to  himself,  "Farmer  Davis 
thinks  he  can  catch  me  but  he  can't. 
I  don't  care  for  traps.  I  have  never 
been  caught  in  one  yet." 

Eeynard  was  hungry  and  he  ran  as 
fast  as  he  could. 

Soon  he  came  near  the  farmer's 
house. 

"I  will  stop  here  a  minute,"  said 
Reynard,  "I  think  I  smell  something. 

149 


Some  one  has 
been  here.  Oh, 
I  see.  Here 
is  a  trap.  It 
must  be  the 
one  Bruin  was 
talking  about. 
How  very  silly 
any  animal 
must  be  to  get 
caught  in  a 
trap  like  that!" 
K  e  y  n  ar  d 
started  away 
but  suddenly 


150 


the  trap  shut  and  snapped  off  his  big, 
bushy  tail. 

Eeynard  howled  and  howled.  Then 
he  ran  to  the  woods  as  fast  as  he  could 
go. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  he  said  to  him- 
self. "The  other  animals  will  all  laugh 
at  me  because  I  have  no  tail.  I  don't 
want  any  of  them  to  see  me.  I  will 
hide  in  the  bushes." 

So  Eeynard  hid  for  a  long  time. 

Then  he  thought  of  a  plan.  He  sent 
for  all  the  other  foxes  to  come  to  him. 
When  they  came  he  made  a  speech,  but 
he  stood  with  his  back  against  a  tree. 

He  said,  "My  dear  foxes,  let  us  all 


151 


cut  off  our  tails.  They  are  of  no  use 
to  us.  They  are  always  in  the  way 
when  we  run  through  the  bushes.  I 
am  sure  we  could  all  run  faster  with- 
out them.  Let  us  cut  them  off  at 


once." 


"Why  do  you  stand  so  close  to  the 
tree,  Keynard?"  asked  an  old  fox. 
"Turn  around  and  let  us  see  your  tail." 

But  Reynard  would  not  move.  Then 
a  big  fox  pushed  him  away. 

"Look!  Look!"  cried  the  old  fox. 
"He  has  already  lost  his  tail.  All  he 
wants  is  to  help  himself  and  not  us." 


152 


THE  CAT  AND  THE   CHESTNUTS 

Jocko  and  Pussy  were  one  day  tak- 
ing a  walk. 

"Oh,  see,"  said  Jocko,  "here  is  a  fire 
which  some  hunters  have  left.  Let  us 
sit  down  and  warm  ourselves." 

"I  wish  we  had  something  to  eat," 
said  Puss. 

"Here  are  some  chestnuts,"  said 
Jocko.  "Let  us  roast  them  the  way 
the  men  do." 

"How  is  that?"  said  Pussy. 

"First  you  drop  them  on  the  coals, 
this  way,"  said  Jocko.  "After  they 


burst  open  I  will  show  you  how  to  get 
them  out." 

"I  have  never  eaten  any,"  said  Pussy. 
"Are  they  very  good?" 

"Oh,  they  are  fine,"  said  Jocko. 
"You  will  like  them  better  than  any- 
thing you  have  ever  tasted." 

"I  think  they  are  done,"  said  Pussy. 
"Now  how  do  we  get  them?" 

"That  is  easy,  Pussy,"  said  Jocko. 
"You  take  your  paw  and  pull  them  out 
of  the  fire.  Then  I  will  break  them 
open." 

"But,  Jocko,"  said  Pussy,  "the  fire  is 
so  hot,  I  shall  burn  my  paw." 

"I  am  sure  you  can  get  the  chestnuts 


if  you  try,  Pussy/'  said  Jocko.  "Your 
paw  is  almost  exactly  like  a  man's 
hand." 

Pussy  was  pleased  at  this.  She 
reached  for  the  chestnuts,  but  the  coals 
burned  her  paw  and  she  began  to  cry. 

155 


"Don't  cry.  Pussy,"  said  Jocko.  "Try 
again.  You  are  so  clever,  I  am  sure 
you  can  get  them." 

Pussy  tried  again  and  again.  At 
last  she  got  three  chestnuts  out  of  the 
fire. 

"I  can't  get  any  more.  Jocko,"  she 
said,  "My  paw  is  dreadfully  burned. 
Give  me  the  three  chestnuts.  I  want 
to  taste  them." 

But  Jocko  had  eaten  the  chestnuts 
when  Pussy  was  not  looking. 

"A  cat's  paw,"  he  said,  "can  pull 
chestnuts  out  of  a  fire  better  than  any- 
thing I  know  of." 


156 


THE   EAGLE   AND   THE   TORTOISE 

One  day  the  tortoise  saw  an  eagle. 
The  eagle  was  high  above  him  in  the 
sky. 

"How  fine  it  must  be  to  fly  in  the 
air  like  that!"  said  the  tortoise.  "I  am 
tired  of  crawling  about  011  the  ground. 
I  want  to  learn  to  fly." 

Soon  the  eagle  came  down  near  the 
tortoise. 

"Oh,  Eagle,"  said  the  tortoise,  "won't 
you  teach  me  how  to  fly?" 

"Why,  Tortoise,"  said  the  eagle,  "you 
have  no  wings.  How  can  you  learn 
to  fly?" 

157 


"I  will  try  very  hard  to  learn  if  you 
will  only  show  me  a  little.55 

"You  cannot  fly,55  said  the  eagle. 
"Only  birds  can  fly.  You  were  made 
to  crawl  on  the  ground.55 

Then  the  eagle  flew  up  in  the  sky. 

The  tortoise  was  unhappy  because 
he  could  not  fly,  too. 

The  next  day  he  went  to  the  eagle 
again. 

"Please  teach  me  to  fly,55  he  said. 
"I  want  to  go  up  in  the  sky  as  you  do.55 

"You  cannot  fly,55  said  the  eagle. 
"Don't  think  about  it  any  more.55 

The  next  day  the  tortoise  came 
again. 

158 


"Eagle,"  he  said,  "I  will  pay  you  if 
you  will  teach  me  to  fly.  I  must  learn." 

Then  the  eagle  was  angry. 

"When  do  you  want  your  first  les- 
son?" he  said. 

"Now,"  said  the  tortoise. 

"All  right,"  said  the  eagle.  "First, 
I  will  take  you  in  my  claws  and  fly  up 
in  the  sky." 

When  they  were  up  high  the  eagle 
let  go  of  the  tortoise  and  said,  "Now 
fly." 

Of  course  the  tortoise  could  not  fly. 
He  fell  down,  down  until  he  struck  the 
rocks  below. 


159 


THE   LION  AND  THE   ECHO 

I 

Leo,  the  lion,  came  down  the  moun- 
tain one  morning.  He  was  looking  for 
something  to  eat,  but  he  could  not  find 
anything.  This  made  him  cross,  and  he 
growled  loudly. 

An  echo  growled  back  at  him. 

Leo  was  surprised. 

"What  was  that?"  he  said. 

He  growled  loudly  again,  and  again 
his  growl  came  back  to  him. 

"I  believe  it  is  a  man,"  he  said.  "I 
wish  I  could  find  him." 

He  crept  softly  through  the  woods. 
He  could  not  find  any  one. 


160 


He  growled  and  then  he  roared. 

Echo  roared  too. 

"That  sounds  like  another  lion/'  he 
said  to  himself. 

Then  he  called  as  loud  as  he  could, 
"Whose  voice  is  that  which  roars  at 
mine?" 

Echo  answered,  "Mine." 

This  made  Leo  angry,  and  he  called 
again,  "Who  are  you?" 

Echo  said,  "Who  are  you?" 

"I  am  a  great  and  strong  lion,"  cried 
Leo. 

"Lion,"  Echo  answered. 

Leo  ran  toward  the  voice  and  shouted, 
"Come  here  and  show  yourself." 

161 


"Elf,"  answered  Echo. 

Leo  was  still  more  angry.  He  ran 
back  and  forth  through  the  woods.  He 
growled  and  roared,  and  Echo  growled 
and  roared  too. 

162 


"I  know  it  is  some  other  lion/'  said 
Leo.  "He  lias  come  here  and  thinks 
he  will  be  king  in  my  place.  But  he 
shall  not  be  king.  I  will  find  him,  and 
then  we  shall  see  who  is  stronger." 

Leo  rushed  through  the  woods  again. 
The  louder  he  roared  the  louder  Echo 
roared.  Sometimes  the  voice  seemed 
to  come  from  one  part  of  the  woods, 
but  when  Leo  reached  there  Echo  was 
in  some  other  place. 

Now  Eeynard  was  out  hunting  that 
morning,  too.  He  heard  the  angry 
roars  of  Leo  and  came  to  see  what  was 
the  matter. 

"I  think  I  will  not  go  close  to   Leo 

163 


just  now,"  he  said.  "He  is  too  cross." 
So  Eeynard  sat  down  behind  a  big- 
rock.  He  saw  Leo  run  through  the 
woods.  He  heard  him  growl  and  roar, 
and  he  heard  the  answer  of  Echo. 


164 


At  last  Leo  was  so  tired  that  he  had 
to  sit  down  and  rest. 

Then  Reynard  crept  quietly  through 
the  bushes. 

"King  Leo,"  he  said,  "may  I  tell  you 
something?" 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Leo  crossly. 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  any  other 
lion  in  the  woods,  Leo,"  said  Reynard. 

"There  must  be,"  said  Leo.  "Didn't 
you  hear  him  roar?  Just  listen." 

Leo  gave  a  loud  roar,  and  Echo  sent 
the  roar  back. 

"Yes,  I  hear  it,"  said  Reynard,  "but, 
Leo,  it  is  only  your  own  voice  that 
comes  back  to  you  in  some  queer  way." 

165 


"That  cannot  be,"  said  Leo. 

"I  am  sure  it  is  so/5  said  Keynard. 
"Listen  and  you  will  hear  my  voice 
come  back,  too.55 

Then  he  gave  two  sharp  little  barks. 

Two  barks  came  back  from  Echo. 

"That  is  strange/'  said  Leo.  "Do  it 
again." 

This  time  Reynard  gave  three  short 
yelps.  Echo  sent  back  three  yelps. 
Then  Leo  tried,  and  again  his  roars  and 
growls  came  back. 

"I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Leo. 
"But  perhaps  you  are  right,  Reynard. 
How  queer  that  a  big  lion  who  is  king 
should  be  afraid  of  his  own  voice!" 


166 


TAGE 


LIST   OF   STORIES 

The  Lion  and  the  Fox  ........  5 

The  Fox  and  the  Crow 11 

The  Wolf  and  the  Kid 16 

The  Dog  in  the  Manger 21 

The  Lion  and  the  Gnat 24 

The  Hare  and  her  Friends 30 

The  Fox  and  the  Grapes 35 

The  Lion's  Share 39 

Lobo  and  the  Lamb  .          43 

Reynard  and  Mrs.  Crane         „     .....  46 

The  Dog  and  His  Shadow       ......  50 

How  the  Monkey  Settled  the  Quarrel  ...  53 

The  Wolf  and  the  Sheep    .......  59 

The  Cat  and  the  Mice 62 

Reynard  in  the  Well 66 

The  Wolf  and  the  Crane 73 

The  Ant  and  the  Grasshopper 78 

The  Country  Mouse  and  the  City  Mouse  .     .  81 

The  Crow  and  the  Pitcher 91 

Reynard  and  Pussy „     ,  95 

167 


Lobo  and  Bruno 98 

The  Quarrel 103 

The  Blue  Wolf 109 

The  Lion  and  the  Mouse 1 14 

Reynard  and  the  Hen 120 

How  Lobo  Took  Care  of  the  Sheep  .     .     .     .125 

The  Hare  and  the  Tortoise 130 

The  Frog  and  the  Mouse 135 

The  Sick  Lion 139 

The  Wolf  in  Sheep's  Clothing 143 

How  Reynard  Lost  His  Tail 148 

The  Cat  and  the  Chestnuts 153 

The  Eagle  and  the  Tortoise 157 

The  Lion  and  the  Echo  160 


168 


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YC  499C2 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


